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Public concern on the methods of raising food-producing animals has increased, especially in the last two decades, leading to voluntary and mandated changes in the animal production methods. The primary objective of these changes is to improve the welfare of farm animals. The use of gestational stalls is currently a major welfare issue in swine production. Several studies assessed the welfare of alternative housing systems for gestating sows. A comparative study was performed with gestating sows housed in either individual stalls or in groups in a pen with an electronic sow feeder. This review assessed the welfare of each housing system using physiological, behavioral, and reproductive performance criteria. The current review identified clear advantages and disadvantages of each housing system. Individual stall housing allowed each sow to be given an individually tailored diet without competition, but the sows had behavioral restrictions and showed stereotypical behaviors (e.g., bar biting, nosing, palate grinding, etc.). Group-housed sows had increased opportunities to display such behavior (e.g., ability to move around and social interactions); however, a higher prevalence of aggressive behavior, especially first mixing in static group type, caused a negative impact on longevity (more body lesions, scratch and bite injuries, and lameness, especially in subordinate sows). Conclusively, a more segmented and diversified welfare assessment could be beneficial for a precise evaluation of each housing system for sows. Further efforts should be made to reduce aggression-driven injuries and design housing systems (feeding regimen, floor, bedding, etc.) to improve the welfare of group-housed sows.

Objective: Effects of direct-fed Enterococcus faecium plus bacteriophages (EF-BP) were investigated as potential substitutes for pharmacological ZnO for weanling pigs.Methods: Dietary treatments were supplementations to a basal diet with none (NC), 3,000- ppm ZnO (PC), 1×1010 colony-forming units of E. faecium plus 1×108 plaque-forming units (PFU) of anti-Salmonella typhimurium bacteriophages (ST) or 1×106 PFU of each of anti-enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 (F4)-, K99 (F5)-, and F18-type bacteriophages (EC) per kg diet. In Exp 1, twenty-eight 21-day-old crossbred weanling pigs were individually fed one of the experimental diets for 14 days and euthanized for histological examination on intestinal mucosal morphology. In Exp 2, 128 crossbred weanling pigs aged 24 days were group-fed the same experimental diets in 16 pens of 8 piglets on a farm with a high incidence of post-weaning diarrhea.Results: None of the diarrheal score or fecal consistency score (FCS), average daily gain (ADG), gain: feed ratio, structural variables of the intestinal villus, and goblet cell density, differed between the EF-BP (ST+EC) and NC groups, between EF-BP and PC, or between ST and EC, with the exception of greater gain: feed for EF-BP than for PC (p

This study aimed to evaluate optimal crude protein (CP) levels based on the National Research Council guidelines from 1998 and 2012 and their impacts on growth performance, fecal score, blood profiles, nutrient digestibility, and carcass characteristics of weaning to finishing pigs. Four diets were established in this experiment: high-protein (HP), medium-high-protein (MHP), medium-low-protein (MLP), and low-protein (LP). The HP diet followed the NRC (1998) guidelines, while the MHP diet reduced the CP content by 1%. The MLP diet had 1.5% lower CP content than the HP diet. The LP diet followed the NRC guideline of 2012, which suggests less protein than the NRC guideline of 1998. There were no significant differences in body weight, average daily feed intake, or nutrient digestibility. However, the average daily gain (ADG) of pigs fed the LP diet at 7–10 weeks was lower than in the other treatments, whereas the ADG of the pigs fed the LP diet was higher compared with that of pigs fed the other diets, showing compensatory growth in finishing periods (p < 0.05). The blood urea nitrogen of pigs fed the LP diet showed the lowest value, whereas the highest value was found in pigs fed the HP diet, and the other two diets were similar to the HP diet or positioned between the HP and LP diets (p < 0.05). Water holding capacity, cooking loss, shear force, and pH in the longissimus muscle were not influenced by varying dietary CP levels (p > 0.05), but the hunter values L and b were increased in pigs fed the LP diet (p < 0.05). Conclusively, a low-protein diet did not negatively affect growth performance, nutrient digestibility, or meat quality.

Fungal pre-treatment and fermentation could improve nutritional value of wet corn distillers’ grains and solubles (WDGS), soybean hull (SH), and their blend in swine and poultry diets, which can potentially increase revenues for corn-ethanol and soybean processing industries while reducing feed cost in swine and poultry production systems. This study evaluated the effectiveness of pre-treatment of SH, WDGS, and their mixture by Trichoderma reesei and fermentation by Aspergillus oryzae to improve the nutritional profile and digestibility of these ingredients. T. reesei produced cellulase and xylanase, resulting in structural carbohydrates reduction by 69.2% while concentrating amino acids from 6.8% to 11% in SH. Fermentation with A. oryzae degraded phytate by over 50% and improved in vitro digestibility of amino acids in WDGS and its mixture with SH. Fermenting T. reesei pre-treated SH by A. oryzae showed higher in vitro dry matter digestibility than non-fermented substrate. Moreover, the proportion of key amino acids (arginine, threonine, methionine, and lysine) in both T. reesei and A. oryzae fermented substrates were significantly improved. The results demonstrated the feasibility of combining T. reesei and A. oryzae in improving feeding value of WDGS and SH for potential use as feed ingredients for monogastric animals.

A combined algorithm comprising multiple dust detection methods was developed using infrared (IR) channels onboard the GEOstationary Korea Multi-Purpose SATellite 2A equipped with the Advanced Meteorological Imager (GK2A/AMI). Six cloud tests using brightness temperature difference (BTD) were utilized to reduce errors caused by clouds. For detecting dust storms, three standard BTD tests (i.e., $${BT}_{12.3}-{BT}_{10.5}$$, $${BT}_{8.7}-{BT}_{10.5}$$, and $${BT}_{11.2}-{BT}_{10.5}$$) were combined with the polarized optical depth index (PODI). The combined algorithm normalizes the indices for cloud and dust detection, and adopts weighted combinations of dust tests depending on the observation time (day/night) and surface type (land/sea). The dust detection results were produced as quantitative confidence factors and displayed as false color imagery, applying a dynamic enhancement background reduction algorithm (DEBRA). The combined dust detection algorithm was qualitatively assessed by comparing it with dust RGB imageries and ground-based lidar data. The combined algorithm especially improved the discontinuity in weak dust advection to the sea and considerably reduced false alarms as compared to previous dust monitoring methods. For quantitative validation, we used aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and fine mode fraction (FMF) derived from low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites in daytime. For both severe and weakened dust cases, the probability of detection (POD) ranged from 0.667 to 0.850 and it indicated that the combined algorithm detects more potential dust pixels than other satellites. In particular, the combined algorithm was advantageous in detecting weak dust storms passing over the warm and humid Yellow Sea with low dust height and small AOT.

Objective: In this study, we investigated the effects of Rubus coreanus-derived lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermented feed (RC-LAB fermented feed) and three types of LAB (Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium animalis) on the expression of transcription factors and cytokines in Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cells in the intestinal lymph nodes and spleens of rats. In addition, the effect on intestinal microbiota composition and body weight was investigated.Methods: Five-week-old male rats were assigned to five treatments and eight replicates. The expression of transcription factors and cytokines of Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cells in the intestinal lymph nodes and spleens was analyzed using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assays. Intestinal tract microbiota compositions were analyzed by next-generation sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays.Results: RC-LAB fermented feed and three types of LAB increased the expression of transcription factors and cytokines in Th1, Treg cells and Galectin-9, but decreased in Th2 and Th17 cells. In addition, the intestinal microbiota composition changed, the body weight and Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio decreased, and the relative abundance of LAB increased.Conclusion: LAB fermented feed and three types of LAB showed an immune modulation effect by inducing T cell polarization and increased LAB in the intestinal microbiota.

In this study, the effects of nickel and copper on the mechanical and thermal properties of Al-Si alloys were investigated, for different alloy compositions. Thermodynamic calculations were carried out to predict the alloys’ solidification behavior (solidification temperature, solid fraction and physical properties (density, thermal conductivity, elastic modulus, bulk modulus)). The aluminum alloys were produced by high pressure die-casting process with a 125 ton die-casting machine. Microstructures in the Al-Si-Ni alloys were characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile tests. Thermal conductivity was measured using a laser flash method. The addition of Ni and Cu improved the mechanical properties of the alloys by different strengthening mechanisms. Solution strengthening was the more effective method of improving mechanical properties, compared with strengthening by intermetallic compounds. The addition of an appropriate concentration of soluble alloying elements consistently improved alloy strength. However, addition of alloying elements decreased the thermal conductivity of the primary alpha aluminum phase. EDS analysis confirmed that soluble alloying elements like Cu not only can form intermetallic compounds, but can also change other kinds of compounds. Accordingly, careful consideration should be given to the chemical composition of soluble/insoluble alloying elements when attempting to improve mechanical properties and thermal conductivity at the same time.

This review aims to discuss the effects of dietary fiber sources with various levels on stereotypic behaviors in sows. There are a variety of dietary fiber sources that are supplemented to feeds for sows. However, dietary fiber sources have different physio-chemical properties, leading to controversial results in feed motivation, nutrient digestibility, and behaviors in sows fed fiber-rich diets. Findings from previous studies indicated that soluble fiber delays nutrient absorption and decreases physical activity after feeding. In addition to this, it increases volatile fatty acid production, provides energy, and prolongs the feeling of satiety. It also prevents certain stereotypies and thus is paramount to sow welfare.

Environmental factors affecting the errors in wind speed estimates were investigated using the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (ALOS-2 PAL...

In the present investigation corrosion behavior of the Al-Si-Zn alloys with and without the addition of Mg was studied. Microstructures revealed the presence of eutectic Si and Zn phases at the grain boundaries and Mg addition led to the formation of Mg2Si phase. X-ray diffraction results clearly indicated the presence of pure Si, Mg2Si and α-Al phases. Corrosion behavior of all the alloys was investigated in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution using electrochemical and immersion corrosion techniques. Potentiodynamic polarization test results after 48 h of exposure indicated that, the corrosion resistance increased as the Zn content in the alloy was increased, while the addition of Mg decreased the corrosion resistance. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results as a function of exposure time are also revealed a variation in the surface layer and charge transfer resistance values with and without Mg addition. Corrosion rates calculated from the immersion test further substantiated the electrochemical corrosion results. Corrosion morphologies after immersion test confirmed the dissolution of α-Al matrix and presence of cathodic Si phase at the grain boundaries. The presence of anodic Mg2Si phase in the Mg containing alloy could also be responsible for the decrease of corrosion resistance.

A literature review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effects of dietary energy system (NE or ME), oil content of cDDGS, diet inclusion levels, and pig age on growth performance in pigs fed cDDGS-based diets. The mean differences (MD) of ADG, ADFI, and gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) were calculated and expressed as a percentage change relative to feeding corn-soybean meal (CSB)- and cDDGS-based diets to nursery (BW < 25kg) and growing-finishing (BW > 25kg) pigs. In addition, MD were determined in CSB- and cDDGS-based diets to determine the effects of supplementation of various types of exogenous enzymes with or without phytase on growth performance. A total of 27 studies with 106 growth performance observations were included in the non-enzyme supplemented dataset, and 36 studies with 84 observations for enzyme responses in CSB and cDDGS diets were in the enzyme dataset. Feeding the cDDGS diets resulted in decreased (P < 0.01) the MD of ADG (- 4.27%) and G:F (- 1.99%) for nursery pigs, and decreased (P < 0.01) the MD of ADG (-1.68%) and G:F (-1.06%) for growing-finishing pigs. Feeding high oil (≥ 10% ether extract) cDDGS-based diets to pigs resulted in a 2.96% reduction in ADFI while feeding reduced-oil (< 10% ether extract) cDDGS-based diets reduced G:F by 1.56% compared with pigs fed CSB diets. Supplementation of exogenous enzymes improved (P < 0.05) the MD of ADG and G:F by 1.94% and 2.65%, respectively in CSB diets and by 2.67% and 1.87%, respectively, in cDDGS diets. Proteases, enzyme cocktails, or xylanases improved (P < 0.05) ADG by 7.29%, 2.64% and 2.48% in pigs fed CSB-based diet, respectively. In conclusion, cDDGS-based diets slightly reduces growth performance of nursery and growing-finishing pigs, but supplementation of xylanase or enzyme cocktail improves G:F of pigs fed cDDGS-based diets

New processes are being used in some dry-grind ethanol plants in the United States and Brazil to improve ethanol yield and efficiency of production while also providing nutritionally enhanced corn coproducts compared with conventional corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). The objectives of this study were to determine the chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of 5 conventional corn DDGS sources and 10 emerging novel corn coproducts for swine and ruminants, and compare coproducts produced using similar processes in the United States and Brazil. Chemical composition, on a dry matter (DM) basis, among the 15 coproducts ranged from 18.5% to 54.7% for crude protein (CP), 12.3% to 51.4% for neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 1.6% to 8.6% for acid detergent fiber, 4.7% to 12.3% for ether extract, and 1.6% to 8.6% for ash. For swine, in vitro hydrolysis of DM and CP were greater (P < 0.01) for the three U.S. corn DDGS sources compared with the two Brazilian corn DDGS sources, but in vitro fermentability of DM was comparable (P > 0.05) among all sources except one U.S. DDGS source that had less fermentable DM. High-protein and yeast dried distillers grains (Ultramax, UM; StillPro, SP) coproducts also had comparable (P > 0.05) DM fermentability for swine, but UM coproducts had greater (P < 0.01) DM and CP hydrolysis compared with SP. High-protein distillers dried grains (HP-DDG) from Brazil had greater (P < 0.01) DM and CP hydrolysis, but less (P < 0.01) DM fermentability for swine than HP-DDG produced in the United States, using the same process. For ruminants, total DM digestibility was greater (P < 0.01) in conventional DDGS sources from the United States compared with the two DDGS sources from Brazil. Total protein digestibility for ruminants was comparable and above 81% for all coproducts except for a DDGS source from Brazil, a HP-DDG source from the United States, and a UM sample. Interestingly, the corn fiber + solubles coproduct had not only relatively high digestibility of NDF (67.9%), DM (91.6%), and total CP (81.9%) for ruminants, but it also had relatively high total tract digestibility of DM (86.2%) and CP (69.9%) for swine. These results suggest that nutrient digestibility of conventional DDGS sources produced in the United States appear to be greater than corn Brazilian DDGS sources, but new process technologies being implemented in ethanol and coproduct production in both countries can enhance the nutritional value of corn coproducts for both swine and ruminants.

A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effects of the dietary energy system (net energy or metabolizable energy), oil content of corn distillers dried grains with solubles (cDDGS), diet inclusion levels, and pig age on growth performance of pigs fed cDDGS-based diets. Mean differences of average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain:feed (G:F) were calculated and expressed as a percentage change relative to feeding corn–soybean meal (SBM)- and cDDGS-based diets to nursery [body weight (BW) < 25 kg] and growing-finishing (BW > 25 kg) pigs, and to compare the effects of supplementing various types of exogenous enzymes without or with phytase on growth performance. A total of 27 studies with 106 growth performance observations were included in the cDDGS dataset, and 34 studies with 84 observations for enzyme responses in cDDGS diets were used in the enzyme dataset. Approximately, 64.7% of the observations showed no change, and 26.7% of observations showed a reduction in ADG, ADFI, and G:F when feeding cDDGS-based diets to the nursery and growing-finishing pigs compared with feeding corn–SBM-based diets. Furthermore, feeding cDDGS diets resulted in decreased (P < 0.01) mean difference of ADG (–4.27%) and G:F (–1.99%) for nursery pigs, and decreased (P < 0.01) mean difference of ADG (–1.68%) and G:F (–1.06%) for growing–finishing pigs. Every percentage unit increase in the inclusion level of cDDGS in growing–finishing pig diet was associated with a decrease (P < 0.01) in ADG (–0.10%) and ADFI (–0.09%). Feeding high oil (≥10% ether extract) cDDGS-based diets to pigs resulted in a 2.96% reduction in ADFI whereas feeding reduced-oil (

The objective of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to quantitatively summarize the growth responses of broilers fed cDDGS and the efficacy of various types of dietary enzyme supplementation. A total of 12 publications with 69 observations were included in the database. Individual observations were analyzed using a multivariable linear mixed model. The mean differences (MD) of BWG, FI, and gain efficiency (G/F) were calculated by subtracting either the enzyme response in corn-soybean meal (CSB) or CSB+cDDGS based diets to the control, and was expressed as a percentage (MD = (enzyme – control)/control ×100%). A type of exogenous enzymes (xylanase; protease; carbohydrases; cocktail = proteases + carbohydrases), and feeding phase (starter = d 0 to d 21; finisher = d 21 to d 42 or 49; overall = d 0 to d 42 or more) were included as fixed effects. Dietary enzyme inclusion showed significant improvement on BWG (3.19%, P < 0.01) and G/F (5.69%, P < 0.01) in broilers fed cDDGS diet. However, no significant enzyme responses were observed in broilers fed CSB diet on growth performance. Broilers fed cDDGS diet had increased (P < 0.01) BWG with the addition of protease (3.32 %) and cocktail (3.27 %), whereas addition of xylanased improved (P < 0.01) G/F by (3.56 %) and carbohydrases (1.90 %). Broilers fed cDDGS diet with enzyme supplementation showed greater improvement in BWG (3.71 %, P < 0.01) and G/F (3.78 %, P < 0.01) at finisher phase compared with starter phase. Likewise, Broilers fed CSB diet with enzyme supplementation increased BWG (9.40 %, P < 0.01) and G/F (3.11 %, P < 0.01) at finisher phase. In conclusion, supplementation of xylanase and carbohydrases in cDDGS diet improved G/F, and the enzyme response can be maximized when fed during the finisher phase diet compared with the starter phase diet.

Published studies involving different feeding strategies and diet inclusion rates of corn distillers dried grains with solubles (cDDGS) for broilers have resulted in variable growth performance responses. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively summarize the impact of feeding diets containing cDDGS on growth performance of broilers using a total of 16 publications with 56 observations in the database. The mean difference (MD) of BWG, FI, and G/F ratio were expressed as percentage between feeding corn-soybean meal-based (CSB) diet and addition of cDDGS into CSB diet of broilers. Individual observations were analyzed using a multivariable model (Proc GLIMMIX, SAS) to evaluate growth performance responses based on feeding phase, inclusion level of cDDGS, and oil content of cDDGS as a fixed effect. Broilers fed cDDGS diet had decreased BWG (-0.1 %, P < 0.01) and increased FI (0.3 %, P < 0.01) compared with broilers fed CSB diet. Moreover, every percentage unit increase in the inclusion level of cDDGS in CSB diet was associated with a decrease in BWG (0.30 %, P < 0.01) and FI (2.64 %, P < 0.01). The MD of BWG was greater for broilers fed cDDGS in the starter (4.70 %, P < 0.01) and entire (3.00 %, P < 0.01) period compared with the finisher feeding period. However, entire feeding period showed greater MD of G/F ratio (2.11 %, P < 0.01) compared with starter and finisher periods. The MD of BWG (-1.02 %, P < 0.01) and FI (-2.48%, P < 0.01) were decreased for broilers fed more than 20 % in the diet. In conclusion, including more than 20 % cDDGS into the broiler diet decreased BWG and FI. The recommended inclusion level of cDDGS into the broiler diet is 10 to 20 % during the entire period.

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of copra meal (CM) inclusion level on the growth performance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations, and pork quality of growing-finishing pigs fed diets containing &beta, mannanase. Eighty crossbred pigs with average body weight (BW) of 27.22 &plusmn, 0.09 kg were allotted to five dietary treatments with four pigs per pen and four replicates per treatment based on sex and BW. The dietary treatments were: (1) NC: negative control, corn-soybean meal (SBM) based basal diet, (2) PC: positive control, basal diet + 0.10% &beta, mannanase (800 IU/ kg diet), (3) CM6: PC diet with 6% CM inclusion, (4) CM12: PC diet with 12% CM inclusion, and (5) CM18: PC diet with 18% CM inclusion in a three-phase feeding program (growing: 0&ndash, 6 weeks, finishing I: 7&ndash, 9 weeks, and finishing II: 10&ndash, 12 weeks). The quadratic responses were observed in the BW at six weeks (p &lt, 0.05), ADG in the growing phase (0&ndash, 6 weeks, p &lt, 0.05), and ADFI in the finishing phase with a tendency (7&ndash, 12 weeks, p = 0.06) as the inclusion level of CM increased. However, the BW at 12 weeks (linear, p &lt, 0.05 and quadratic, p = 0.06), the overall ADG (0&ndash, linear and quadratic, p &lt, 0.05), and the G:F ratio in the finishing (7&ndash, linear, p &lt, 0.05) and overall (0&ndash, 0.05) phases decreased with increasing levels of CM in the diets. The ATTD of crude protein (linear, p &lt, 0.05), crude fiber (linear, p &lt, 0.05), and ash (linear, p &lt, 0.05) decreased linearly as the inclusion level of CM increased. The BUN concentrations increased linearly with increasing levels of CM in the diets at 12 weeks of the experiment (p &lt, 0.05). As the inclusion level of CM increased, TBARS value at d 3 post-mortem (linear, p = 0.07) tended to increase, whereas initial loin pH at 1 h post-mortem decreased (linear and quadratic, p &lt, 0.05) with no difference in ultimate loin pH at 24 h post-mortem. These results indicated that CM inclusion up to 12% in the growing-finishing pig diets with &beta, mannanase did not affect growth performance, nutrient utilization, and pork quality whereas 18% CM inclusion to the diets could negatively impact nutrient digestibility, BUN concentrations, and thereby growth performance.

The experiment aimed to investigate the effects of dietary &beta, mannanase supplementation on growth performance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients, intestinal integrity, and the immunological and oxidative stress parameters in weaning pigs. A total of 64 newly weaning pigs (initial body weight: 6.96 &plusmn, 0.70 kg) were allotted to two dietary treatments in eight replicates per treatment with four pigs per pen based on body weight and sex. Dietary treatments were 1.) CON (control: corn-soybean meal based basal diet) and 2.) &beta, mannanase (basal diet +0.06% &beta, mannanase). The &beta, mannanase supplementation did not affect growth performance, concentrations of acute phase protein, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. However, the pigs fed the &beta, mannanase-supplemented diet had greater ATTD of ether extract, jejunum villus height, and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio, and lower crypt depth compared with those fed the CON diet (p &lt, 0.05). The pigs fed the &beta, mannanase-supplemented diet tended to have the lower count of E. coli in cecum than those fed the CON diet (p = 0.08). In conclusion, dietary &beta, mannanase supplementation did not affect growth performance, immune response and oxidative stress of weaning pigs, whereas it increased fat digestibility and had positive effects on intestinal integrity and cecum microflora by reducing the count of E.coli.

The corrosion performance of high pressure die-cast Al-6Si-3Ni (SN63) and Al-6Si-3Ni-2Cu (SNC632) alloys in 3.5% (mass fraction) NaCl solution was investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and microstructural studies revealed the presence of single phase Si and binary Al3Ni/Al3Ni2 phases along the grain boundary. Besides, the single Cu phase was also identified at the grain boundaries of the SNC632 alloy. Electrochemical corrosion results revealed that, the SNC632 alloy exhibited nobler shift in corrosion potential (ϕcorr), lower corrosion current density (Jcorr) and higher corrosion resistance compared to the SN63 alloy. Equivalent circuit curve fitting analysis of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results revealed the existence of two interfaces between the electrolyte and substrate. The surface layer and charge transfer resistance (Rct) of the SNC632 alloy was higher than that of the SN63 alloy. Immersion corrosion test results also confirmed the lower corrosion rate of the SNC632 alloy and substantiated the electrochemical corrosion results. Cu addition improved the corrosion resistance, which was mainly attributed to the absence of secondary Cu containing intermetallic phases in the SNC632 alloy and Cu presented as single phase.

Corrosion behavior of high pressure die-cast Al-Si-Ni alloys (Al-3Si-1Ni (SN31) and Al-3Si-3Ni (SN33)) with and without copper (Cu) addition has been investigated. Corrosion behavior was assessed in 3.5 wt% NaCl by electrochemical and immersion corrosion techniques. The presence of single phase pure Si and binary Al3Ni phases were confirmed from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and microstructural studies for SN31 and SN33 alloys. Interestingly, Cu addition (1 at.%) resulted in formation of Al3Ni2 phase along with a marginal decrease in Al3Ni fraction and did not produce any Cu containing phases. Potententiodynamic polarization studies revealed an increase in corrosion current density (icorr) value as the Ni content was increased. However, the addition of Cu to SN31 and SN33 alloys increased their corrosion resistance. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies confirmed the higher charge transfer resistance (Rct) values for the Cu added alloys. Immersion corrosion test results revealed that, the corrosion rate of Cu added alloys were three times lower than SN31 and SN33 alloys. In the SN alloys, increase in corrosion rate is attributed to the increase of Al3Ni phase as the Ni content was increased. The added Cu dissolves in the Al alloys and also reduce the Al3Ni fraction thereby improved their corrosion resistance.

OBJECTIVE This experiment was to evaluate the effects of the dietary energy levels on the physiological parameters and reproductive performance during gestation over three parities in sows. METHODS A total of 52 F1 gilts (Yorkshire×Landrace) were allotted to one of four dietary treatments using a completely randomized design. The treatments contained 3,100, 3,200, 3,300, or 3,400 kcal of metabolizable energy (ME)/kg diet but feed was provided at 2.0, 2.2, and 2.4 kg/d in the first, second and third parity, respectively. RESULTS The body weight and body weight gain during gestation increased as the dietary energy level increased (p

Objective This experiment was conducted to evaluate the optimal space allowance on growth performance, blood profile and pork quality of growing-finishing pigs. Methods A total of ninety crossbred pigs [(Yorkshire×Landrace)×Duroc, 30.25±1.13 kg] were allocated into three treatments (0.96: four pigs/pen, 0.96 m2/pig; 0.80: five pigs/pen, 0.80 m2/pig; 0.69: six pigs/pen, 0.69 m2/pig) in a randomized complete block design. Pigs were housed in balanced sex and had free access to feed in all phases for 14 weeks (growing phase I, growing phase II, finishing phase I, and finishing phase II). Results There was no statistical difference in growing phase, but a linear decrease was observed on average daily gain (ADG, p

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of gestating sows housed in groups with electronic sow feeding (ESF) system over three consecutive parities. A total of 83 pregnant gilts [Yorkshire×Landrace] were housed into ST: gilts housed in individual stalls, and ESF: gilts housed in groups with ESF system on the basis of body weight (BW) and backfat thickness (BFT) in a completely randomized design. Rice hulls were used as bedding material on the group housing floor. The same commercial gestating diet was provided daily at 2.0 kg, 2.2 kg and 2.4 kg/day in the first, second and third parity, respectively, in both treatments. All sows introduced farrowing crates five days before expected farrowing. BW and BFT of the sows were measured at d 35, and 110 of gestation as well as at 12 h and d 21 postpartum. Parturition time was recorded during farrowing. Reproductive performance, including total born, stillborn, mummy, born alive, mortality, weaning pigs as well as litter and piglet weight were recorded. Scratch incidence and locomotion scores in sows were assessed at d 36, 70, and 110, respectively. Ten sows in each treatment were randomly selected for blood sampling. Serum samples were analyzed for cortisol and oxytocin levels. In the gestation period, ESF tended to increase BW gain in the second parity (P=0.08), and consistently showed significance during the third parity (P

The objective of this experiment was to determine preweaning survival of pigs when sows were supplemented with 3 dietary levels of zinc (Zn) in late gestation. Gilts and sows (n = 339) were assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments based on parity. Dietary treatments were 1) Control—sows fed a corn–soybean meal-based diet containing 125 ppm total supplemental Zn supplied by ZnSO4 (75 ppm Zn) and AvailaZn (50 ppm Zn, CON); 2) Intermediate—as Control + 240 ppm supplemental Zn as ZnSO4 (INT); and 3) High—as Control + 470 ppm supplemental Zn as ZnSO4 (HI). Final supplemental Zn concentrations of the 3 dietary treatments were 1) CON—125 ppm; 2) INT—365 ppm; and 3) HI—595 ppm. Sows received dietary treatments from about day 85 of gestation until farrowing. Individual piglet birth weights were recorded within 12 h of parturition. Instances of piglet mortality were recorded daily. The statistical model considered fixed effects of treatment and random effects of parity. Piglets from sows fed the INT diet had heavier (P < 0.05) birth weights than those fed CON (1.42 vs. 1.38 kg, respectively), while offspring from sows fed HI tended to have heavier (P < 0.10) birth weights (1.40 kg) than pigs from INT sows. Furthermore, incidence of low birth weight pigs was less (P < 0.05) for sows consuming INT compared with sows fed CON and HI. Despite differences in birth weight, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in total pigs born, born alive, or weaned, nor differences in individual piglet gain or weaning weight across treatments. Mortality of low birth weight pigs was lowest (P < 0.05) for offspring from sows fed HI (28.1%) compared with offspring from sows fed INT (36.1%) and CON (38.3%). Similarly, overall piglet mortality tended to decrease (P < 0.10) as dietary Zn content increased (CON: 15.0%, INT: 13.2%, and HI: 12.2%). A subset of pigs (n = 420, n = 140/treatment) were selected at weaning to evaluate effects of dietary treatment on postweaning performance. There were no significant effects of sow Zn supplementation on final body weight, days to market, or carcass characteristics of market pigs. Overall, effects of supplemental dietary Zn at 365 and 595 ppm in late gestation improved preweaning survival of low birth weight piglets and reduced overall preweaning mortality of piglets.

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of inoculum volume (IV), substrate quantity, and the use of a manual or automated gas production (GP) recording system for in vitro determinations of fermentation of corn distillers dried grains with solubles (cDDGS) and soybean hulls (SBH). A 2 &times, 2 &times, 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used and included the factors of (1) ingredients (cDDGS or SBH), (2) inoculum volume and substrate quantity (IV30 = 0.2 g substrate + 30 mL inoculum or IV75 = 0.5 g substrate + 75 mL inoculum), and (3) GP recording system (MRS = manual recording system or ARS = automated recording system). Feed ingredient samples were pre-treated with pepsin and pancreatin, and the hydrolyzed residues were subsequently incubated with fresh pig feces in a buffered mineral solution. The GP recording was monitored for 72 h, and the kinetics were estimated by fitting data using an exponential model. Compared with SBH, cDDGS yielded less (p &lt, 0.01) maximal gas production (Gf), required more time (p &lt, 0.02) to achieve half gas accumulation (T/2), and had less (p &lt, 0.01) fractional rate of degradation (&micro, ) and in vitro fermentability of dry matter (IVDMF). Using the ARS resulted in less IVDMF (p &lt, 0.01) compared with MRS (79.0% vs. 81.2%, respectively). Interactions were observed between GP recording system and inoculum volume and substrate quantity for Gf (p &lt, 0.04), &micro, (p &lt, 0.01), and T/2 (p &lt, 0.04) which implies that increasing inoculum volume and substrate quantity resulted in decreased Gf (332 mL/g from IV30 vs. 256 mL/g from IV75), &micro, (0.05 from IV30 vs. 0.04 from IV75), and T/2 (34 h for IV30 vs. 25 h for IV75) when recorded with ARS but not MRS. However, the recorded cumulative GP at 72 h was not influenced by the inoculum volume nor recording system. The precision of Gf (as measured by the coefficient of variation of Gf) tended to increase for IV30 compared with IV75 (p &lt, 0.10), indicating that using larger inoculum volume and substrate quantity (IV75) reduced within batch variation in GP kinetics. Consequently, both systems showed comparable results in GP kinetics, but considering convenience and achievement of consistency, 75 mL of inoculum volume with 0.5 g substrate is recommended for ARS.

In this study, using in situ measurements at 17 buoy stations off the Korean Peninsula, C-band model (CMOD) functions for Sentinel-1A/B IW mode synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data were validated. In total, 395 Sentinel-1A/B IW mode dual-vertical polarized images were used for collocation with in situ measurements from May 1, 2015, to September 30, 2017, and 807 matchup points were obtained. Prior to the validation, preprocessing such as speckle noise reduction and ship and land masking was completed. The in situ wind speeds were converted to a 10-m neutral wind considering atmospheric stability. High-resolution wind speeds were estimated by using the CMOD functions such as CMOD4, CMOD_IFR2, CMOD5, CMOD5.N, and CMOD5.Na. The root-mean-square errors of each model were less than approximately 1.8 m·s–1 (1.83, 1.82, 1.69, 1.68, and 1.65 m·s–1, respectively). The biases of all models were higher in the western coastal region than those in the eastern coastal region. The results showed the advantages and disadvantages of each model in the estimation of wind speeds in the coastal region around the Korean Peninsula as proposed in a concept of combined errors. The wind speeds derived from the SAR data also presented a tendency for water depth to be overestimated over shallow bathymetry and to be underestimated at high wind speeds. In addition, this study assessed potential sources of wind speed errors such as the effects originating from wind direction input, different platforms of Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B and their calibration, and from radar interference or regional oceanic characteristic environments.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a fundamental factor in energy and hydrologic cycles. Although highly precise in-situ ET monitoring is possible, such data are not always available due to the high spatiotemporal variability in ET. This study estimates daily potential ET (PET) in real-time for the Korean Peninsula, via an artificial neural network (ANN), using data from the GEO-KOMPSAT 2A satellite, which is equipped with an Advanced Meteorological Imager (GK2A/AMI). We also used passive microwave data, numerical weather prediction (NWP) model data, and static data. The ANN-based PET model was trained using data for the period 25 July 2019 to 24 July 2020, and was tested by comparing with in-situ PET for the period 25 July 2020 to 31 July 2021. In terms of accuracy, the PET model performed well, with root-mean-square error (RMSE), bias, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient (R) of 0.649 mm day−1, −0.134 mm day−1, and 0.954, respectively. To examine the efficiency of the GK2A/AMI-derived PET data, we compared it with in-situ ET measured at flux towers and with MODIS PET data. The accuracy of the GK2A/AMI-derived PET, in comparison with the flux tower-measured ET, showed RMSE, bias, and Pearson’s R of 1.730 mm day−1, 1.212 mm day−1, and 0.809, respectively. In comparison with the in-situ PET, the ANN model produced more accurate estimates than the MODIS data, indicating that it is more locally optimized for the Korean Peninsula than MODIS. This study advances the field by applying an ANN approach using GK2A/AMI data and could play an important role in examining hydrologic energy for air-land interactions.

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of exogenous enzyme supplementation and solid-state fermentation (SSF) with a mixed bacterial culture on in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production of soybean meal (SBM) or rapeseed meal (RSM). A 2 × 2 factorial design was used and included the factors of 1) exogenous enzyme cocktail (supplemented and non-supplemented), 2) microbial fermentation (fermented and non-fermented) applied to SBM or RSM in vitro. The exogenous enzyme cocktail consisted of non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) degrading enzymes (NSP-EZ) with phytase (10,000 FTU/kg), and the SSF were carried out using Bacillus subtilis. The fermented feed ingredients were collected after 48 h incubation at 37oC. Samples were hydrolyzed in two steps using pepsin and pancreatin to calculate IVDMD. Subsequently, the hydrolyzed residues were filtered, dried, and pooled for incubation in a buffered mineral solution with fresh swine feces. Gas production kinetics during fermentation was measured for 72 h and analyzed by fitting data to an exponential model. The fermentation residues were filtered, and the supernatant was analyzed for concentration of SCFA. The IVDMD from simulated gastric and small intestinal hydrolysis was greater (P < 0.01) for SSF in both SBM and RSM. During fermentation, the hydrolysis residue from SBM treated with SSF required less time to reach half asymptote, had greater maximal gas production, and greater fractional degradation (P < 0.01, respectively) compared with non-fermented SBM. The IVDMD from simulated total tract digestion was greater (P < 0.01) for SSF in RSM compared with SBM, while SBM had greater IVDMD for both SSF and NSP-EZ (P < 0.01). Production of butyric acid was greater for SSF (P < 0.01) compared with non-SSF in both SBM and RSM. These results suggest that SSF can improve IVDMD and produce greater amounts of butyric acid compared with NSP-EZ supplementation in SBM and RSM.

A significant portion of gross energy (GE) in corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is indigestible by non-ruminants, and the impact of ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) on improving GE digestibility is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of AFEX and enzymes on crystallinity index and neutral detergent fiber (aNDF) degradation in DDGS using a porcine in vitro fermentation system. Two sources of DDGS samples (ICM and POET) were pretreated with liquid ammonia at 100 °C and 2069 kPa for 30 min. The DDGS samples with or without AFEX pretreatment were predigested with pepsin and pancreatin with or without carbohydrases (1500 U/g xylanase, 1100 U/g β-glucanase, 110 U/g mannanase, and 35 U/g galactosidase). Residues were then subjected to in vitro fermentation (directly inoculating DDGS samples with fecal inocula) and accumulated gas production recorded up to 72 h. Concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were measured in the fermented solution. On a dry matter (DM) basis, non-protein nitrogen was increased by 20.8 g/kg, and aNDF was decreased by 146 g/kg in corn DDGS after AFEX pretreatment. Pretreatment with AFEX decreased the crystallinity index of fiber in DDGS from about 15 to 0 %, increased (P

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary energy levels on the physiological parameters and reproductive performance of gestating first parity sows. A total of 52 F1 gilts (Yorkshire×Landrace) were allocated to 4 dietary treatments using a completely randomized design. Each treatment contained diets with 3,100, 3,200, 3,300, or 3,400 kcal of metabolizable energy (ME)/kg, and the daily energy intake of the gestating gilts in each treatment were 6,200, 6,400, 6,600, and 6,800 kcal of ME, respectively. During gestation, the body weight (p = 0.04) and weight gain (p = 0.01) of gilts linearly increased with increasing dietary energy levels. Backfat thickness was not affected at d110 of gestation by dietary treatments, but increased linearly (p = 0.05) from breeding to d 110 of gestation. There were no significant differences on the litter size or litter birth weight. During lactation, the voluntary feed intake of sows tended to decrease when the dietary energy levels increased (p = 0.08). No difference was observed in backfat thickness of the sows within treatments; increasing energy levels linearly decreased the body weight of sows (p